SEEMS I'VE DONE SO MUCH dining out and cooking in that it is a noticeably rare treat when I get offered the opportunity to have someone else actually cook for me.

Well that unique occasion was visited upon me twice last week, as a long-time dear friend invited over for breakfast on Wednesday over on the Upper West Side, and another close local friend paid me for IT services on his computer with an awesome lunch.

Nicole, the UESer, made a simple yet extraordinary and delicious dish of soft-fried eggs, nicely seasoned with black pepper and turmeric (and the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant medicinal properties it comes with).

And my Yorkville neighbor Karl whipped up a splendidly tasty and fun pan-fried soft shell crab (briefly in-season now) sandwich with some fresh arugula and his own kitchen-made mango salsa.

Both meals were excellent, made even better, of course, by the company, charity, and skill of my friends. So if I haven't made more apparent, I am happily available for any other meals any of my friends care to make for me. Just know that, along with my appetite and gratitude, I will also bring with me my iPhone to, of course, take photos to document my good fortune.